Dragonsbane
by Tasha-declawed
Summary: (Not a fanfic. All original) When a soldier finds a dragon egg his world is turned upside down. But as he discovers what being a Rider really is, he finds himself head over heels in an adventure that could cost not only his life, but the life of his hatchling.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_This is just the start of the story. I'm a newbie so forgive me, I have no clue how to do this stuff. This is NOT a fanfic, just a story I made about dragons, sorry people. Thanks for reading :) Warning: violence.  
_

The entourage came to a halt. The forest they were passing through on the way to Baroke was rumored to be a nest of robbers. For the wary soldiers it seemed that an unfriendly face peeked out from behind every massive tree which heavily populated the area like wooden guardians. To make matters worse, a heavy fog settled into the region due to the early spring rains. It spread like a blanket and was almost opaque. The soldiers could not even see their own muck-covered boots as they trudged along. Many stumbled over the large roots and found themselves face-first in a muddy puddle.

It had been a week and they were exhausted, very dirty, and wetter than drowned rats. This had been the third time they had stopped in an hour and the ambassador they were guarding was getting restless. The men envied him, for while they were out slogging along in their heavy mail and getting soaked to the bone the ambassador was relaxing inside a padded carriage (which was admittedly rather bouncy due to all the ruts in the road) nice and clean.

Two beautiful white Palfreys were pulling it. They were from the finest breeders in the country, but they weren't made for this kind of work. The ambassador had foolishly thought that this journey would take a couple days, if that. Now the gorgeous creatures were exhausted, their shockingly white glossy coats now brown and caked over with grime. They stumbled occasionally with exhaustion. The soldiers agreed that they were wasted. The ambassador's pride had cost many days on this trip, for a sturdier war horse such as a destrier would have fared much better.

When they stopped this time though, the ambassador thrust open the door of the carriage so loudly the horses jumped to the side, making the carriage jolt and the plump ambassador fly out very ungracefully and hit a rather large puddle with a wet SLARP. He rapidly recovered, stumbled to his feet, and turned to his guardians. One of them snickered.

"SILENCE!" the red-faced ambassador spat, trying to get the mud off his face and failing, "Why in the name of Pete are you stopping again!? I'm sick of this!" _So are we_ thought the soldiers but they didn't dare say it out loud.

The chief guard, a robust man named Ralem stepped forward "Sir, we believe there may be something in the area. It's just a security check, sir. And if you would just get back in the carriage…"

"NO!" yelled the ambassador, mad as a wet cat, "I WILL NOT go in! This has gone far enough! I was supposed to be at Baroke four days ago!

"Sir," Ralem said hastily.

"Don't sir me!" Ambassador Kelly yelled, then eyed the soldiers suspiciously, "I wouldn't be surprised if you were leading me to the enemy all this time. Just wait until the Queen hears about this!" Then Kelly's face fell as he thought about the possibility of telling the Queen about it while he was way out in the wilderness.

"Sir," Ralem said gently" I have sworn my life and my sword to the Queen, as we all have. In doing so, we have sworn fealty to you. We have been held back by the frequent storms, the ruts, and the treacherous forest. Don't worry; we should be there by tomorrow afternoon. Our tracker, Quimby, has noted that the rock over there is by our destination" he said, pointing to a huge rock in the distance that was half shrouded by fog. "Now would you please step back into the carriage?"

The ambassador huffed and tromped back to the ornate steps. He lifted his now-muddy expensive shoes to climb up the steps, but the fancy shoes found no purchase on the slippery steps. With a holler he fell forward and hit his head against the rails.

The guards, fearing the worst, gathered around him. Kelly sat there, stunned, then slowly his hand came up to his bloody face and he took out his two front teeth from between his blood red lips. He took one look at the small white incisors resting in his hand and screamed. As the scream resounded through the forest the soldiers heard a rustling sound to their left. It was faint, but definitely there. The brawny men quickly tried to shush Kelly. One patted his back nervously, like a dog. Another whispered "It's going to be ok," over and over again. But he was not to be consoled. Finally Ralem whispered "Sorry sir," as he pounced on Kelly, covering his bloody mouth with a large hand. Kelly tried to squirm, but Ralem was much stronger and held him firmly in place. He tried to bite, but he didn't have the front teeth to do so.

Suddenly a large branch cracked a hundred yards away from the carriage. Kelly's blue eyes widened in fright. The soldiers held their breath.

Whatever it was, it was not small. The men watched in amazement and fear as the huge trees started to shake as the thing made its way toward the group.

Thinking fast, the men quickly grabbed Kelly and threw him in the carriage. The horses were whinnying in fright, their eyes rolling and nostrils flaring as they tried to make a run for it. The only thing that was keeping them from bolting was the driver, who had the reigns tied around a rail (and he was still grunting with exertion). The moment Kelly slammed into the carriage floor they made a dash for freedom and the carriage rocketed over the dirt road.

The soldiers unsheathed their swords. A couple grabbed bows and arrows from around their shoulders. They strung the arrows taut on the strings and waited with bated breath.

The thing came to a stop. Ralem felt as if his heart might pound its way out of his chest.

It was quiet. Dreadfully quiet. The only sound was the blood rushing through the men's ears, like a frenzied drum. The soldier's muscles screamed from staying still for so long.

Without warning the billowy bush at the edge of the clearing erupted as the creature burst out from behind it. Nothing could have prepared Ralem for this, not all his years of military combat, all his sword fighting training or duels . For the thing that assaulted them was a creature born of nightmares. It jumped, sailing over their heads with an effortless leap. The soldiers whirled around to face their opponent, swords shaking in their unsteady hands.

The creature was at least twelve feet tall. But when it raised its neck it was about 18 feet. It looked like a huge bird, its cold, predatory eyes flashing from soldier to soldier, as if it were choosing who to eat first. It had a splotched brown and white feathery coat that poorly concealed the rippling muscle in its long neck, legs, and wings. Another strange thing about the bird was that it was flightless, but the wings were still large and menacing. Protruding outward from each of the primaries was three huge claws, each one over three feet long. They looked like menacing weapons along with the sharp, jagged beak that looked as if it could snap a man in half. Its bird feet ended in huge talons and Ralem had a feeling they weren't just for walking.

The men huddled up like a wall, praying for this creature from hell to go away.

But it didn't go away. In fact it drew closer, its terrible wings slowly spreading, claws ready to strike. Then it made the attack.

It was like a whirlwind. The thing mowed through the men, impaling them, jabbing with its cruel beak, and kicking with its huge clawed feet. Ralem didn't know what he was doing in the fray. It was so terrifying and confusing.

Then as quickly as it started it stopped. Ralem looked around. Ten men down, everyone had been totally taken by surprise. The creature was making weird jerks with its head, charging at them then stopping like it was trying to intimidate them.

_Its playing cat and mouse with us,_ Ralem thought, _Well I'll give it cat and mouse I WON'T be caught by surprise again._ He gathered his men. There were only seventeen men left and they were shaken. Six of them had wounds, half of them mortal. Putting on his bravest face Ralem said "Ok men, this is the plan. Let the wounded lay here. We'll make a protective half-circle around them. Men with bow and arrows in the back. Try to get a good shot at the thing. Aim for the neck or head. I'll be in the front with the rest of the men. Let's give this bird a taste of real steel and after this victory we will be renowned across the land for this great prize!" The men perked up, if only a little.

Out of the corner of Ralem's eye he saw the bird had stopped pacing. "Get into position," he commanded. The men hastily took their places and drew their weapons. Once again the bird raised his wings in an aggressive stance. But this time they were ready. The archers shot their arrows at the bird, speeding through the air like angry bees. The beast charged, oblivious to the weapons. _He's dead now,_ thought Ralem. But it was not dead; it just kept on charging, the arrows making a sharp _ping_ as they glanced of the creature's feathers. Ralem dropped his sword a little. _It cannot be. _

It charged toward Ralem, its huge legs pounding the earth. Ralem just barely missed the huge claws and before the bird could react he slashed at its neck. The only result was that it jarred his arm and broke his sword. He stared dumbly at his shredded weapon. Meanwhile the thing was wreaking havoc. It started battering down the men, opening its beak to reveal shark-like teeth, swinging those saber-like claws. They stood no chance.

Ralem realized what was going on and jumped back up, his arms still stinging from the impact. He had to do something, anything to help his comrades. He leapt after the creature, but was knocked off his feet by a vicious blow from a scaly foot.

As the throbbing in his head began to deaden everything else he tried to get back up again, but a searing pain in his shoulder caused him to sit sharply back down. Just before his eyes closed he caught sight of the thing running faster than anything he'd ever seen, the same direction the ambassador had fled.

And then everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Ralem slowly opened his eyes. It took him a few minutes to focus and remember where he was. A wall of gloomy white greeted his tired eyes. _Am I dead? _He thought, but his head hurt something awful, and when he tried to get up his shoulder burned. If he was dead he definitely wouldn't feel so bad. He raised his hand to his face and saw it's outline faintly, a darker shape among the mist. _Fog. _He lay there for a few minutes, trying to make sense of the jumble of memories that assaulted his mind. Suddenly he shot up, letting out a gasp as his shoulder screamed. _The ambassador, the soldiers, the creature! _He got up as quick as he could with his wound and looked at the carnage. He could make out limp forms, dark shapes sprawled on the ground. He glanced at each of the fallen men. These were the people he had responsibility over. Many of them were good friends of his. Even more had grown up with him, played with him as children, and fought by his side. He looked away as he felt hot tears build up in his eyes.

He wanted to honor these brave men by bringing them home to their families for a proper burial but there was no time. He was sworn to protect the ambassador. He had to go after the creature. He also thought about the possibility of _more _of those creatures. As he thought about what happened he knew something was wrong. Why did the bird just kill them and leave? Would it be back? And why did it run after the ambassador if it already had us? Everything about it made his stomach turn in knots. Was it the way the creature's eyes were bright with intelligence? Suddenly a new memory he had overlooked before overcame him and he sat down on his knees hard. _It had been wearing a collar. _He had noticed that it was wearing a black collar on its feathery chest. In the center was a brilliant green emerald-looking rock. The thing must have been sent by somebody! But why would they choose to attack a little caravan, with little valuables? What was so important?

A scary thought came into his mind: _what if I'd been out for days?_ He knew it had been almost noon when they'd been attacked, but who knew how long he'd been sleeping. He bent down and looked at the huge soggy tracks of the animal, lightly touching the mud. He smiled, _fresh. _With renewed vigor he got to his feet, and ignoring the pain in his shoulder, began following the giant footprints north. A decision that would change his life forever.

As he headed toward the direction the ambassador had fled he searched his mind for a clue why he was doing this. He had no plan. He had no backup. And the only thing he carried was a sword borrowed from a dead soldier. He looked at the stained blade sadly and knew that it wouldn't last against the thing he was up against. He didn't know if the bird had _any _weaknesses. It seemed insane but he felt like he needed to protect the ambassador. But now he was starting to doubt that was the reason. Ever since they set out he had felt like he needed to protect someone, or something that was inside that carriage. In fact, he felt pulled by some presence. It was strange but somehow felt _right. _

As he continued walking his shoulder ached worse and worse. _If I don't tend to it I'll be the one needing rescue,_ he thought. He settled next to a swollen stream not far from the road and took a quick sip from the slightly muddy waters, dipping his empty water skin in also. He was so thirsty that he didn't the swirly current of dirt that spun around the water skin. Taking off his mail and underclothes he looked at the damage. Or he _tried _to. Because the wound was on his shoulder, it was hard to see. But one thing he was sure of: It wasn't good. It was oozing a steady flow of blood that had stained his underclothes. Ralem wet his clothing and tried to clean the wound, gritting his teeth in pain. Resignedly, he wrung out his shirt and tied it around his shoulder as tight as he cold to staunch the blood. He cursed under his breath. Why hadn't he learned how to take care of wounds? He now wished he had listened closer to the lectures he was given on the subject.

He got back up stiffly and made his way back onto the path. Ralem walked with a heavy heart, for if the creature had caught up with the carriage he doubted that there would be anyone left to save. And he couldn't hope to catch up to them, with the great speed of the bird. The heaviness of his spirit at the loss of his comrades seemed to weigh down his body too, and he fought to keep moving. As he tackled a sharp hill, he bit his lip and promised himself, _I will avenge their deaths if that's the last thing I do._ The sad thing was that it probably would be the last thing he ever did.

The day wore on and his tired feet were refusing to go any faster. He had to force them to keep moving. The loss of blood made him weaker and he made more and more breaks. Ralem's pack seemed to grow heavier by the second. He was starving, but wanted to save the last of his rations for later. Slowly he drifted into a stupor of just walking, one step at a time. The road became a steady drone of brown, the mist fogging up his senses of time and direction.

He didn't notice he'd left the path until he tripped. He'd been tripping all day but this thing was larger than the regular root and he did a face-plant on the moist forest floor. Scraping the mud off his face he turned to look at the offending object. Whatever it was, it was hidden among the tall grass. Curious, he got to a squatting position and hesitantly reached out for the glimmer of gold, wiping away the grass. His breath caught as he discovered a…. box. It was golden and said '_Compliments of the Great Queen' _in beautiful raised lacy letters from which sprouted different plants and little birds. Ralem marveled at its beauty. Someone really experienced must have made it. It was quite large, big enough to house a small dog. Tracing a finger a hair's breath over the engravings, he lifted his eyes and surveyed the surrounding land for a clue to how this mysterious box had landed. Sure enough, leading up to the box in a trail of matted grass a sunken earth, a rut dragged itself from ten feet out in the road. _Must have bounced out of the carriage_ he thought.

But the strangest thing about it was the pull, which was drawing Ralem in like a magnetic field. He got up and put his hands on the box. _I'm going to give this to the king if I don't find the ambassador _he thought. But the moment his bare skin touched the gold it started to glow.

Whatever it was it was sucking him in!

He tried to scream but nothing would come out of his mouth. His lungs crumpled and his heart banged heavily on his rib cage, adding to the panic. He fought to inhale, but his eyes widened in alarm when he found it was impossible. Terror took over his senses as the surroundings slowly dotted to black, turning his mind almost animal-like. It was like someone or some_thing_ was rearranging his atoms, changing who he was, forcing things into his mind that he knew wasn't his own. His skeleton felt as if it were on fire. Just as he began to think it was the end, exhaustion saved him.

He fell forward and the box dropped from his hands. It made a dull thud as it slammed into a rock but Ralem didn't notice. He lay by the box, trying to get himself together. His arms hurt like they were on fire. His brain was a muddle of pain. In the corner of his mind he felt the pull of the box but he was too weak to respond.

And sleep came to his rescue.

His eyes flicked open. The warm, silvery glow of the full moon fell among the trees like a heavy mist. Even though everything appeared to be peaceful Ralem felt deeply uneasy. His breath catching in his throat, he slowly got to his feet, his eyes anxiously surveying the heavy darkness that clung to the looming trees like an evil parasite. Nothing moved. Not an owl hooted, leaf twitched, or branch swayed. The silence was stifling. Nervous, Ralem reached for his sword, which glowed dully on a gnarly root. When it caught on something in the tree Ralem's heart skipped a beat. He jumped backwards, jerking on his only weapon, just waiting for some ghastly creature to plunge out with it. But the sword, after a momentary reluctance (It had caught on a root), gave easily away and Ralem reprimanded himself for being scared like a little girl.

_Schreeeech!_ A spine-chilling noise rented the night, alarmingly close. Ralem jumped almost a foot, swinging his sword pathetically in front of him. "Who's there?" he called, his voice quaking embarrassingly. There was no answer. _Well I can't just wait for whatever-it-is_ _to come over and kill me, can I?_ He thought, and with a gulp starting walking hesitantly toward the noise, his sword whipping toward every whisper of the wind. A huge tree towered over his head, the moss hanging down like skeletal fingers, brushing him as he padded over the roots to the other side of the tree. One slapped him in the face, startling him. _Shhwwfft._ The sword sprang out and the moss fluttered to the roots.

Ralem stopped in his tracks, listening hard but all he could hear was his hard breathing. _Wait, what was that?_ He thought. He sucked in his breath, but the breathing continued, labored and monstrous. So he wasn't alone! Whatever-it-was it was hidden on the other side of the tree. With a sudden burst of courage, he jumped out of hiding, his sword strangled by both of his sweaty hands.

Something moved in response to his lunge. A ripple of black under the silver moonlight. As his eyes adjusted, his overworked brain took in the new monster. Standing there was a creature that was might have been even stranger than the giant bird. It had great bat-like wings in which the vessels bulged outward visibly even in the poor light. It was trying to take flight with something heavy. Its tendon's strained but it did not rise into the air even an inch. It was facing away from Ralem so he couldn't see its face. But its large ears slowly swerved back and focused on his form. In a lightning swift movement, the head jerked all the way around, swiveling so that it was completely backwards on its body. Sharp white teeth caught the light, each one so long that it couldn't possible close its hideous mouth. Pearly white eyes gazed out to seemingly nothing, but Ralem felt the hairs on his neck raise and he knew with chilling certainty that the creature was indeed locking eyes on its prey.

Him.

The long fox-like snout pulled back into a gruesome smile. It hissed and a drop of drool dripped on to the ground, sizzling into the root and making a jagged hole. Ralem didn't want to think of what would happen if the liquid touched human skin.

In reality, Ralem was scared to death, but an even deeper feeling almost like instincts drove him to confront the beast.

Surprisingly, the thing didn't move back but stayed rooted to the box like a mother hen on an egg and hissed again, unfolding its wings in an aggressive gesture.

He knew it meant _come any closer and you'll get hurt._ But he was driven to protect whatever it was that was inside, he had no choice. The creature made a swipe as he got closer but he dodged it easily. It felt like something else was directing or helping him and for some weird reason he felt he liked it. He swung a low blow with his sword and the thing ducked. As soon as the sword passed over its head it jumped up, its claws aimed at his face. Ralem moved faster than he thought possible and cut one of its claws off with a deft twitch of the blade. The creature shrieked and made a desperate flap, flinging itself backward as it sought to stay out of the sword's reach. The black talon lay on the ground, the black blood making the ground underneath bubble. _So YOU can feel the taste of steel_ he thought grimly.

The thing glared at him from its roost on top of the box. Then its face contorted in a strange expression. By instinct Ralem ducked and did a somersault, careful to favor the side that was wounded. Black saliva splattered right where he had been standing, burning a hole into the oak. While the creature was distracted he lurched to the creature's backside to finish it off.

But the thing wasn't as slow as he thought. Its remaining claw grabbed his sword hand and its talons started digging into his hand. Blood seeped from the long scratches. The creature snarled, striking like a cobra at his neck. He screamed in pain and stabbed the sword in a upward thrust, puncturing its heart. It gave a dying screech and fell to the ground, and its body faded like mist, making a hole in the leaves.

Ralem sat down hard, his hands creeping up to his neck, which had almost been punctured. Hot blood oozed down his neck and trickled down his chest. He choked out a breath and looked at his bloody hands. He, just a regular soldier had destroyed it all by himself. He couldn't believe it. Then he notice the three long gashes on his arm and winced.

All that was left of the creature was the strange collar with the green emerald, that glinted enticingly in the vanilla light. He poked it and was met by the indifferent, smooth surface of the gem. Realizing that it probably won't hurt him, he picked it up carefully. _This will be my spoils of war,_ he thought. A ghost of a smile tugging at his lips, but didn't quite reach his eyes. He forced his shaky hands to tuck it in his pack.

_Where is that stupid box?_ He thought halfheartedly, and his eyes caught the familiar gold glint. As he drew closer to the horrible object, he found that he wasn't the only one marked by the battle. The box had been torn open by the creature, its beautiful pictures gashed and the lock ripped open. For the first time Ralem saw its contents.

An oval green rock.


	3. Chapter 3

Ralem sat on the marshy grass, running his hand through his black hair. Why would this happen? He had risked his neck for what- a rock! Everything was so confusing. It was like his world had been turned upside down. All these strange creatures, and almost laying his life down for a _rock_. Was he insane? Was it all just a bad dream? He slumped against the tree and winced. Definitely not a dream.

One thing he knew for sure was that those creatures with the strange collars were after this rock. Ralem took a closer look at the rock. It was studded with many diamonds, through the fractured surface it seemed that the rock was swirling. It reflected the newly risen sun in tiny lights that rested in the trees like little fireflies. It was truly beautiful. But was it worth the lives of his men? This thing had been responsible for their deaths! In anger he grabbed the rock to throw it as far as he could, his fury swelling like a great tidal wave.

But it stuck.

He couldn't throw it. Once again the rock seemed to be _clinging _to him. His anger turned to fear as pain overwhelmed him, penetrating like a hot, stabbing knife to his very bones. He fell to the ground unable to breathe or think, his only reality the anguish that screamed from every part of his body. It seemed as if someone were cracking through his skull with a hammer. His muscles writhed under his skin like snakes, jerking and convulsing on the forest floor, the only thing not moving was his hand, glued to the rock that seemed to suddenly weigh a billion tons. His atoms were rearranging, his whole body being molded into something not quite human.

The seconds seemed like years and he longed for death for the first time in his short life. _Just kill me already,_ he thought, _anything to stop this awful pain._ Through the haze of terror, images rose from his mind like forgotten ghosts. It was short memories of the smell of warm tarts his mother would bake when he was but knee high, the warm smiles of his boyhood friends, the sense of pride when he disarmed his first opponent, the aching hole in his heart when his mother was no more. All his memories flooded his mind, from forgotten fights with his siblings when he was small, to training to be soldier, to his treetop days with his brother, Aren. _Is this what it feels like to die? _He thought. Suddenly the rock let go of him and it felt like an elephant had stepped off his back. The memories faded like wisps of the wind, leaving a strange new feel like there was something in him that he didn't have before. He jerked away from the rock, gasping for breath, trying to clear his mind. Sweat dripped into his eyes as he shot a glance at the awful rock in fear.

The rock began to fracture. Little cracks appeared in the glassy _shell_? It ruptured and a smoke began to spill out of the open hole. Ralem watched in amazement as the smoke began to lazily swirl and billow, becoming larger by the second. It spilled into the grass, condensing into a long cloud-like form. Colors rose to the surface of the hazy shape, glinting in the hesitant sunrise. The shape sharpened, limbs forming ever so slowly until a humanoid form appeared. It shuddered as it took a deep rasping breath. An arm started to curl backwards to supports its body, which was mostly hidden by a swirl of mysterious mist.

Ralem gasped. Another monster! _This _has_ to be the most bizarre week in my life. I can't take any more monsters! _ He slowly got to his feet, forgetting to breathe, drawing closer to the thing. A small part of his brain thought drily, _Curiosity killed the cat._ But the larger part was too interested to stop his approach. It was only when the mist drifted away that he realized that it was not just a humanoid creature, it _was_ a human. And it wasn't an ordinary human.

The man took a deep breath again and used its shaky arms to pull itself up, twisting its head in Ralem's direction. His heart leapt, but not in the good way.

It was unmistakable. The arched eyebrows, black hair, and strong jaw.

The man was a mirror image of himself!

Ralem jumped back. _I don't believe it!_ The man's unfocused eyes finally drifted to Ralem and tried to concentrate on him, but it appeared to be blind. The eyes were the only thing that weren't exactly the same as Ralem's, they glowed so bright you couldn't see the pupils and gave him an inhuman look. Ralem's eyes were pale green and could be mistaken for brown without the right light. But this was scary green.

_Rider_ a voice said in his head as the spine-chilling green eyes finally focused on his face.

At this turn of events, Ralem suddenly found his feet could actually move, and he turned tail and fled as fast as he could from the man. Like a scared dog, he bolted and tried to run as far as he could from this dastardly forest. He jumped over roots, his feet almost flying over the ground, previous exhaustion and pain forgotten, not knowing or caring where he went as long as it was far away from that man.

_Rider?_ The voice said in his head, sounding hurt and confused.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Ralem screamed as he plunged through the undergrowth. He tripped on a rock and found himself sputtering in a puddle. He jumped back up and kept running. If he wasn't so scared he would have wondered how he could run so far so fast. Maybe it was adrenaline.

He didn't know how long he ran. It all seemed like a blur of trees, murky ground, and ghosts of the men he had left behind. He charged on, trying to forget all that had transpired that day, all the failures that seemed to linger around him, reminding him of the men he had failed to protect. The gnarly trees seemed to grow leering faces as they reached for him with crooked fingers, trying to draw him into their wooden grasp. Thorns scratched at his flesh as he blindly tore through the woods. The forest grew dark and menacing, foes at every corner. Ralem thrashed with his sword like a mad-man, creating deep rents in trees and shrubs alike, jumping at every little noise, his terror fueling his pounding feet.

After a while he started to slow down from exhaustion. Then pure sunlight fell on his shoulder like a forgotten friend, the soft rays warming his body for the first time in a week. Finally he stopped, panting, to take in his surroundings. It was a lush field of rolling hills, grain waving slightly in the wind. To the right in the distance was the beginning of a country, the buildings reaching toward the sky, some of them belching dark smoke. A large wall surrounded it like a proud guardian, tall spikes black against the azure sky. People, as small as ants from Ralem's position, were gathered at the gates, getting admitted in by the watchful eyes of the guards stationed on either side of the vast drawbridge, which connected the city with the countryside over a large moat. _Baroke_ he thought. He started to walk toward it, for to him it was like a beacon of hope. _Maybe the ambassador made it after all_ he thought hopefully, trying to push all other thoughts to the back of his mind.

Suddenly the wind picked up. The fat heads of grain were almost flattened against the earth as the gust gained intensity. _Oh no, not another strange thing, _he thought shouldering his pack and picking up his pace to his destination.

He never did make it.

He gasped as he was grabbed roughly by his stomach, nearly squishing the air out of him. With a stomach churning _whoosh, _he found himself looking down at the town, which was getting smaller by the second. The trees looked like little green sticks and the field was now the size of his hand. "NOO!" he screamed, remembering his sword. Lifting it up, he brought down all of his force onto the scaly fingers holding him up. His stroke was met with a _CLANG_ and a spurt of burning hot blood. Whatever was holding him faltered. Almost driven to madness, Ralem drew back for another stroke, cutting deep into the softer leather of the thing's underclaw.

A flash of grey.

Ralem's heart fell with his sword as it tumbled out of the air and quickly became lost in the leafy forest. Then it dawned on him that if he had actually managed to break the thing's grip he would have been the one crashing to his death. _Out of the frying pan and into the fire, _he thought miserably as he gripped the bloody finger of the creature. Then an idea popped into his head, _Is it that dreadful bird come back to eat me? _But he remembered that the bird couldn't fly. Not to mention that this thing's claws were bright green.

Ralem twisted around to take a good look at his captor. The huge claws holding him were attached to muscular arms, which led to a huge powerful scaly green chest. He tilted his head up and up until his neck hurt, trying to see its head. The thing was enormous. It had a long, sinewy neck and monstrous bat-like wings that sprung proudly from either side of his body. When it noticed he was looking at it, it lowered its huge head to look him in the eye. It was a ginormous triangular head, larger than Ralem's whole body. The top of its nose to the beginning of its horns had a row of small spikes. More was trailing under its huge beautiful green eye to the next pair of horns. Its mouth opened to reveal huge teeth, each one longer than Ralem's arm. Ralem cringed. The dragon must have notice because it closed its mouth quickly.

_I won't hurt you_, said the same voice in his head. Ralem yelled. It was the DRAGON who was speaking in his head! "Go away! Stop talking in my head! Just LEAVE ME ALONE."

The dragon looked sad, "Is this better?" it said its voice deep but smooth. "And I can't leave you alone. Let me explain when we land."

Ralem fell silent. Everything about the situation was over his head. So many questions were racing through his mind like a hive of restless bees. His mind wandered and for the first time he noticed that the dragon wasn't beating its giant wings. They were leveled out on either side like massive sails. The dragon was traveling faster than he could have imagined, even though it was not twitching a wing. The only thing moving was the tail, which ended in huge sails that moved from side to side like a rudder so that the dragon could change directions. When his gaze returned to the ground he discovered it was speeding below him in a blur of landscape. And he did not feel so much as a whisper of wind. Everything about the situation was strange and terrifying. They had already flown over the forest. _We are heading to my hometown!_ He prayed that the dragon would keep flying until they had past it.

But the dragon landed in the worst place possible, or so Ralem thought. The beautiful creature tilted its wings and touched down so softly that Ralem didn't feel a jolt. It set him down in a large oak and just sat there on its haunches, staring strangely at him.

He looked around. This was the same oak both him and his brother came to hide when they wanted to play uninterrupted when they were children. This did not seem to be like a coincidence. Ralem tried to gather some confidence, "You said you'd give me answers," he was surprised how strong his voice sounded.

The dragon sighed and a puff of smoke escaped from its mouth, "My name is Jaydon. You, Ralem, are my Rider."

_How does he know my name? _Ralem thought. "What is a Rider?"

"It's hard to explain," Jaydon "But I chose you to be my human."

"So I'm your slave or something?" Ralem asked angrily, but his voice sounded more like a squeak now. He eyed the area around him and started backing away, getting ready to bolt. Dragons were bad. He'd been trained on this subject all his life. They were for hunting, for killing for knights in shining armor. The only good dragon was a dead dragon. Then why wasn't this dragon trying to kill him?

"No," replied Jaydon, "I'd call it more of a friendship so deep it doesn't deserve the same name. Actually you are now officially about one of the most powerful men on earth. You should feel honored."

Ralem laughed drily, "Me, powerful? I'm just a common foot soldier. At any moment the Queen could order me dead and I'm gone."

Jaydon rustled his wings, trying to think of something to say. "You are not a foot soldier anymore. You are a Rider. In fact you are a Rider of the one and only Ventus Magnus Rex! The most powerful dragon on earth!" At that last statement the dragon spread his wings, their huge span blocking the sky. Indeed he just shone with power, the sun reflecting blindingly off his emerald scales. Everything about him glowed with brilliance, from his graceful, chiseled head to his sinuous tail. He was beautiful, in a scary sort of way. "Now let's go for our first flight! I promise it will be a lot better than the other one!" he smiled, displaying those ferocious teeth.

Ralem straightened, "First let me ask some more questions. Why me?"

"Because the Creator has made it so. We don't always know why He does what He does," he said frankly, a hint of a smirk on his scaly lips.

"But why would you need a human? You look like you could take care of yourself." Ralem crossed his arms skeptically.

Jaydon settled down on the glade, his body taking up an impossible amount of space. He got comfortable as if he were preparing to make a lecture, taking a deep breath before he continued. "Before the Fall of mankind every creature on earth was invincible. They could not die. They could not feel pain. Everything prospered. But then that sorrowful day happened," his spikes drooped a bit and his eyes grew downcast as if remembering some sad memory. "And the animals all lost that power. They die, get sick, and feel pain. Everything has a weakness, either great or small. We dragons have not been left untouched, for we are fallen just like the rest of creation. But the difference is, my kind of dragon is invincible. But invincibility is impossible now. So the Creator made a weakness for us so that we can continue to exist. You, my friend are my weakness."

Ralem was in shock, vaguely aware that his mouth was hanging open. All thoughts of fleeing had fled from his mind. He recovered himself and said "I'M your weakness?" _He was there when creation began?_ He also thought.

"Yes," the dragon said bluntly, "Now our lives are linked, I'm not completely sure how, but I think if you die, I will also. But don't think I didn't give you defenses. And no, I wasn't there when creation began, but somehow, I have this vague memory of Paradise. I think most humans also have a vague understanding of this, or just a longing for it again."

_He heard my thoughts! _Ralem thought, but was more intrigued about the defenses part. "What kind of defenses do you mean?"

Jaydon raised a scaly eyebrow. "Checked your arm, neck, or shoulder yet?"

Ralem raised his arm. No traces of the scratches were left. His neck revealed the same. He arched his back. There was no pain. His hands shaking, he took a dagger out of his pack, bit his lip, and made a small slit in his arm. The cut healed almost instantly. He cried out and let go of the knife and it clattered to the ground.

"Yes, you just like me can heal. You draw your power from me. It doesn't take much energy and I'm practically full of energy so you needn't worry. I can heal you no matter what you do. I've also given you more defenses but I'm not sure of those now, because I'm not even sure of my own powers. After all, I just hatched a few hours ago."

"A few hours…" he said, confused "You… but… I don't understand." He gestured to the dragon's huge body.

"My kind of dragon is never born a hatchling. It's reminiscent of the beginning. Do you think Adam was a child when he was created? Do you think the firstborn animals were mere chicks? No, the Lord made them fully grown in all their glory. Don't you remember? After all it was you who hatched me."

"I…" Ralem stuttered, "But you… "

When Jaydon saw how confused he was he said, "You probably remember me best in this form." His image shimmered until he looked like a mist. The form became smaller and smaller, then reforming…

To the man Ralem had fled in the first place.

Jaydon recognized his discomfort and sighed. "As your dragon I can also take on your shape. Wild dragons cannot become human unless they have a rider, and the same is with me. But I am never human. Remember that." His form shimmered again, becoming the stunning dragon once more. "I prefer my own form better. You poor humans, wingless and no natural armor," he said, poking Ralem with a claw and wrinkling his scaly nose. "Smelly too," he added, earning a glare from Ralem. Ignoring that he called "Ready for your first flight now?" he leaned forward and nocked his foreleg so that Ralem could climb up.

Ralem tensed _What if he's just trying to eat me?_

Jaydon rolled his eyes "If I wanted to eat you I would have done that a long time ago instead of wasting time telling you my life story. Get over here."

Deep down Ralem felt that he could trust Jaydon so he climbed down from the tree, grabbed his knife on the ground and walked toward the dragon. It was quite easy to climb on. The smooth scales clung to his hands and he about walking up the dragon's side. He saw there was a spike-less grove at the hollow between the neck and shoulder blades. Sitting down on it was almost comfortable, the scales here were small and even. He smiled. This is where he felt he should be. For the first time he felt whole. _Ready if you are_ he called, not noticing he had said it in his mind. Releasing a tremendous roar of triumph that echoed through the forest, Jaydon spread his immense wings. The bones clicked as the tendon stiffened, tightening them together. His wingspan took up the entire clearing. In a whoosh of wind they were off into the inciting crystalline sky.

Little did the happy pair know, a shadow was racing away from their meeting place with interesting news.


	4. Chapter 4

As they started to rise in the sky Ralem noticed movement behind him. Craning his neck, he saw something he had at first overlooked. There was a massive fan-like sails coming up from the dragon's lower back. Both sides had sharp claws, and while he watched, they unfolded like a peacock's tail. The claws hooked onto the large spikes extending from his sides. The wind seemed to push on it, causing Jaydon to speed faster.

The clouds appeared to come down to them as they rose ever higher in the alluring sky. As Jaydon leveled out, Ralem raised his hand to touch the fluffy-looking cloud. But when he withdrew it when he felt what seemed like cold water. Indeed there was little sprinkles of dew on his hand. _Floating Fog_, he thought and shook his head. He'd had enough of fog. .

At that moment Jaydon decided to take a take a nosedive. Ralem had never felt so exhilarated as the forest rushed toward them, his stomach seeming to fall faster than his body. At the very last second Jaydon unfurled his wings and coasted over the treetops. The leaves, disturbed by the sudden gust, swirled around like a flurry of green.

The dragon pulled up and did a spin in the air. Ralem was suddenly very glad he hadn't much to eat as all he saw was a blur of sky and earth and the ever-present wings. Sensing his discomfort Jaydon stopped and just glided over the forest.

It was truly a magic moment. He got the bird's eye view of the mountains and forests. He only saw a sliver, between Jaydon's neck and wings but it was still breathtaking. Jaydon dipped again, lowering their altitude until they were level with the trees. A mountain with a halo of silver clouds towered above them, its immense shadow hiding them from the afternoon sun.

They heard the waterfall before they saw it. The dull crashing of the water on the rocks resounded from far away, but it took almost no time at all for Jaydon to find it. He flew low over the crashing water and plunged along with the waterfall. Ralem almost yelled as his stomach plummeted, the sprinkles of water dotting his face like little jewels. In a second it was over and they looked back to find the towering waterfall, the water creating a wall of foamy blue.

"Beautiful," Ralem breathed.

Jaydon circled it once more before soaring higher, gaining altitude in order that he could go faster without having to worry about trees getting in the way.

_How do you keep aloft without moving your wings?_ Ralem tentatively asked, not really used to this whole talking-in-your-mind sort of thing.

_I don't really know_ Jaydon replied, _but I just know that I can bend the air to my will. Otherwise, even with my big, powerful wings I don't think I could fly. _

_Thought so_ thought Ralem, _you do look like you had one too many deer. _Jaydon did a playful shrug, nearly unseating his rider.

_Hey! I could've fallen off! _Ralem said, grabbing a spike for reassurance.

_I doubt you could've if you tried to jump off. Large magical creatures like me create a sort of pull. You aren't going off my back! _Ralem felt vibrations as the dragon snorted, a small tongue of flame leaping from his open mouth.

Ralem saw they were heading to what he used to call Pebble Lake. When he was a child he named it that due to the pebbles that lined the crystalline waters from the river that bled into it. He used to love to play in it while he was a child. _How do you know about these places?_ He asked.

_How can I talk? And how do I know your name? I knew this is strange but the minute you touched my egg you gave me all your memories. _

Ralem squirmed as he thought of the things he didn't want other people to know about. Jaydon replied gently, _I don't judge you. You are after all, only a man. Every man has his faults. They are forgotten to me. And dragons, for one, know how to forget. Now just relax and enjoy this. _

He swooped low over the lake, his wingtips barely touching the smooth waters. The water sprayed and the light fractured, creating an instant rainbow. A few brown geese, honking in annoyance, flew out of the reeds on the sandy shores. It was a beautiful day. The sun shone gently on the lake. A few deer regarded them from the forest before they turned tail and bounded gracefully to the heart of the woods. Birds, in a brilliant array of colors, flew in the trees, singing sweetly the song of spring.

Ralem breathed deeply and noticed he now could smell much better than ever before. The scent of a myriad of flowers swept him away. He also could see better, for the grass seemed greener and he could spot every blade.

Jaydon circled the place a few times to enjoy its splendor, and then flew back over the forest. They flew in silence, enjoying the moment. Ralem noticed that he could also hear Jaydon's thoughts if he tuned in enough. Right now it was mostly just feelings of happiness.

_Ask,_ said Jaydon, disturbing the peace.

_Ask what?_ Ralem replied.

_I know something's on your mind. What is it? _

Ralem shifted nervously, _What were those creatures?_

_I don't know_ Jaydon said apologetically _I was just born a couple of hours ago. But one thing is for sure. Wherever they are, they won't bother us again. They were probably trying to prevent you from getting me. After all I am a force to be reckoned with._

_But why would they put something so powerful and rare as you in a small caravan with only a few men to guard it? And why would they send you to _Baroke_? Put something so valuable in the hands of another? It just doesn't make sense!_

Jaydon chuckled _So many questions! I should guess that they thought that I was just a pretty rock. And I don't know why they only had a few guards. Maybe so that robbers would think it's not worth robbing? _He shook his head_, I may be a dragon, but I'm not omniscient. I'm as much in the dark as you are._

_Jaydon, _Ralem said _Those _creatures_ had collars on. I got one of them. Could you get a look at it?_

_Sure_ Jaydon replied, angling his wings for the descent, _just let me land. _

They settled on a cliff overlooking the vast ocean. The waves crashed angrily far below, creating a dull roar in his ears. He turned and dug his hand into his pack, grabbing the collar and sliding of the dragon's side. Jaydon turned his head and laughed as Ralem made a rather ungraceful landing. Ralem glared at him, and then wiped the dirt off the back of his armor.

_You don't need to wear that tiresome armor anymore. Throw it out. _

Ralem looked down on his armor. He had left most of his chest armor in the forest The rest of it was dirty, had splotches of blood on it, and several dents that decorated his armor. Even though he had been the chief among the soldiers, he hadn't had the nicest armor. People had to pay for their own armor. And especially good armor was expensive. Ralem wasn't exactly a rich soldier, after all he couldn't even afford a destrier. But he still hated it, the heaviness and heat that came from wearing it. He had been aching to take it off if there was no danger. But now he was pretty sure he was in safe hands. So slowly he started taking it off and leaving it, sighing in relief as the cool wind caressed his sweaty back. He felt like he'd lost half his weight he'd been carrying all this time. It gave sweet liberation to his back, shoulders, and legs.

After he was done, he searched through his pack of provisions. After a moment of probing his hands touched something hard and he grabbed it, holding it up for Jaydon to see. The dragon looked at it curiously and sniffed it tentatively. His huge green eyes widened and he wrenched it out of Ralem's hand with his claw. Ralem watched as it grew smaller and smaller until it was swallowed up by the hungry waves.

"What was it?" Ralem asked out loud.

Jaydon was working himself into a frenzy. His nostrils were flaring as he pranced in place like a frightened pony. His wings were unfurled like he was going to fly away any moment. Ralem sensed some emotion from him. _Fear._ He shivered. What would be so scary that a dragon would be frightened by it? He walked over to the dragon, being careful to skirt around the prancing claws and touched his scaly flank, trying to calm him. After another moment Jaydon calmed down enough to explain.

"Sorry about that", he said, his voice seeming to shake, "but that was the most evil…" his voice trailed off.

"What is it?" Ralem repeated, concerned.

"The worst gem on earth. It's a gem that causes the wearer to do what its master asks. Sooner or later they become mindless servants and have no need to wear the gem. It works best on dragons." He shivered again.

But let's not let this worry us for now. After all this is the first flight." He knelt to let him on. This time Ralem didn't hesitate. Once he was firmly seated the dragon bunched up his back legs before springing up. But as quickly as they ascended, they dropped. Jaydon opened up his wings with a snap and they sailed over the waves. As they flew over the ocean, Jayden flew low over the water, letting his claws trail in the whitecaps. The spray from the water slapping the rocky beach misted his face and intoxicated him with the salty smell of the sea. Ralem watched the undulating crests with fascination. It was almost hypnotizing. He had only been to the ocean once before, on a trip to a fishing village. But he had never been on a boat before, nor had he witnessed the true vastness of the sea. As the shore shrunk behind them, the enormity of the ocean amazed him. Even on a huge dragon he felt so small and insignificant as the sea stretched as far as he could see, the blue in the horizon appearing to melt into the blue of the sky, creating a seemingly limitless ocean.

A bird squawked nearby, startling him from his . It was a little seagull. They watched it flap lazily away, as if not startled by the flying giant. It flew off into the sea, fading into the sunset, which was a startling streak of red, as if the sky was bleeding. It was outlined by a more gentle orange, then receding into the remaining blue. The water reflected the vibrant colors, making the sunset look twice as grand as the world slowly drifted into night.

Jaydon soared back to the coast. It was not long before the stars began to peek out, their twinkling lights seemed merry. They flickered like candles against the dark canvas of the sky. There was so many of them, decorating the otherwise lifeless sky. Soon though, the moon wandered up to join them, its laughing face smiling down on them.

Ralem felt Jaydon's deep yearning to be the first dragon to fly among the stars and be in the presence of the jolly moon; to feel the gentle radiance of the stars and to soar with them as they made their nightly journey. Ralem patted his neck, and whispered, "Someday my friend, someday."

And they flew into the night.

_=Comments would be greatly appreciated=_


	5. Chapter 5

Aren's mind buzzed with excitement and fear at what he had just seen. It was a real, live dragon. And it had taken his brother! He replayed the moment in his mind. He had gone to the tree he and his brother had spent so much time in, because it was the place where he could think the best. With the serenity and quietness that was opposite of the bustling town with its noisy crowd, it made the perfect place to sort a problem out.

He had been offered a job; to join a group of men to make a journey to Shanur, (where there was whispers of rebellion), and if he did the job right, could get promoted. Or he could stay in the city with his love, Isabella as he trained his squires. Being knighted less than a year ago, he already had a destrier and three squires. He grinned. Life had really smiled down at him. But the crossroads of opportunity had risen up, leaving the easy path now a forked road, leading who knows where.

_The squires could use a trip, and Isabella would want me to get a promotion. But I can't leave her for months! And it is a long and grueling path…_ he started climbing the tree, thinking fiercely. As he grasped for a large branch he stopped mid-reach. _Did I just hear something? _He listened closely, breathing softly for less interference. _Voices! _He stayed there for a moment, mystified. Nobody knew of this place. _Maybe somebody followed me and is trying to get a laugh by scaring me. _He grimaced as he thought of a couple fools that would just love to do the very thing. He would show them. Slowly he inched his body upward, toward the fork in the tree. _This joke is going to be on THEM_ he thought, already chuckling to himself. Suddenly he jumped to the crook of the tree, ready to scare off the jokers. But before he could let out a boo, he was knocked off his feet by a shocking ROAR! Falling backward from the blast, he hit the ground with a squelch. He sat there in shock, momentarily forgetting to breath. A wind burst forth out of nowhere, smashing him to the ground. Leaves blasted him with an amazing force as the wind continued to pin him to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a ginormous shape block out the sun. Slowly the wind died down and he was able to ease his body around and get his first look at the object. Vast bat-like wings were attached to an enormous serpentine body. Suddenly it sped away so fast Aren's eyes couldn't follow it. He was sure of one thing. The voice he heard was his brother's.

And the dragon had taken him away.

Slowly rising to his shaky legs he had ran to tell the news. Which got him to where he was right now; in front of the castle. The huge structure was forbidding. Its large murky windows seemed to veil dark secrets. It looked strong and menacing against the light summery day. A few soldiers walked in and out of the iron gates, and some peasants meandered about, hoping to get a glimpse of the Queen.

Aren took a deep breath, trying to get the courage to walk into those hostile doors. He had only seen the Queen twice, once when he had been knighted, and the other time when she had been on her yearly parade. He had gotten a glimpse of her as she sat, waving from her carriage. There were many stories floating around about her. Most of them had been old maid's tales. But many seemed to have a ring of truth to it. One rumor was that the Queen had cut off the thumb of General Watson because he had lost a battle. Sometimes Aren saw him riding his destrier around Redfield and he could've sworn that he had a thumb missing.

Also there were people saying that if her clothes weren't tailored quite right she would have the tailor banished from the kingdom. Others claimed she had killed a demon with her bare hands.

Overall she did not seem like a very forgiving Queen. And if he had not really seen what he thought he did…. His hands crept up to his neck. He would be hanged.

He tried to shake the thought away. _That dragon has my brother. I need to do this. _He gulped and started toward the door. Halfway there he was barred by a burly knight who had lowered his hefty spear, barring his way. "State your business," he said in a voice that seemed to come from the earth itself.

"Umm… I'm here because… uhh I saw a dragon," he blurted out, eyeing the spear's edge uncertainly. The guard raised an eyebrow but didn't budge. "And… it took my brother!"

"Ralem?" asked the guard.

"Yes"

"He was a good man," the guard said solemnly, stepping aside with a clank of armor so that Aren could pass. Aren entered the daunting castle, making sure to keep as far as possible from the life sized lions flanking the castle doors. The flowers which crawled up the walls via vines enveloped the Roman columns. The entrance room was breathtaking. A huge chandelier hung directly above him. He quickly moved away for fear of the thing falling on his head. As the light shown through the window and hit the glass it refracted and made little colorful lights dance around the room. A velvet carpet ruffled under his boots, leading up to the balcony. A huge tapestry with the Queen's family crest was hanging on the left wall, its bright red rippling as the wind blew on it. High Buttresses made the castle seem even bigger and more ominous. Servants hurried around silently, cleaning and making sure the Queen had what she wanted. Guards were at every corner, standing silently in full armor.

One guard stepped up to escort him. This guy seemed, if possible, bigger than the last one. He said nothing, but gestured with his spear past the shimmering fountain and on to the stairs. Aren stepped toward him and the guard led him up the balcony. Aren looked on in wonder as they passed an impossible amount of doors. Finally the guard stopped at a door larger than the rest. Two lions were engraved on it, stuck in eternal warfare, their deadly claws just inches from the other's throats. With a light push of an armored hand the door opened silently, leading into a huge room. It was almost bare except for a stately chair in the back of the room attached to a huge oak desk, with engravings covering the sides. Papers were in a neat stack on the desk. It took Aren a moment to realize that somebody was in the chair. The Queen! He quickly bowed and muttered an apology.

"You may rise," the Queen said in a stiff voice.

Aren rose and barely avoided tripping over the purple rug that adorned the wood floor.

"You may speak," she said, her nails clipping sharply against the wood of her desk. Aren didn't have to be able to read minds to know what she was thinking, _whose idea was it to let this idiot in?_

"My brother," he blurted, nervously running his hand through his hair.

"Yes…" she said, her nails going faster as her patience wore out.

"He was taken!" Aren felt like his throat had turned to sandpaper. He spread his arms pleadingly.

"Uh huh…" she absentmindedly took a mirror out of her desk and started powdering her face. After a couple minutes of agonizingly slow pats, her eyes flicked up to find he was still there. She made a very un-Queenly noise and called "Guards! Why did you let this young man in? He is intruding on my tea time!"

The guard grabbed Aren's shoulder to take him out, but he jerked himself out of the man's grasp and yelled "A dragon! A dragon took my brother!"

There was a pause. Then the Queen drawled out in a shrill voice, "What did you say?"

The guard reached to grab him and he stumbled out of his reach. "Yes! A big green dragon! And it was in Redfield!"

The Queen got up, the chair squealing in protest as she shoved it backwards. "A dragon!" she stepped away from the desk. Then Aren got his first good look at the Queen. She was amazingly short. A frilly ridiculous dress made her look like a puppet. Her hair was coiled around her head like dark brown snakes. She had finely arched eyebrows that stood out on her deathly white face. Right now they were about jumping off her face. "We haven't had a real hunt in ages!" Suddenly she narrowed her eyes, "You sure you saw what you saw?"

Aren nodded quickly, nearly rattling his brain.

"Because you know what happens to people who lie to the Queen," She gave him a cold stare.

Aren nodded even more furiously than before.

There was a scuffling noise coming from down the hall. The Queen stood on her tip toes to try to find out what was happening. A thin figure burst through the door followed by a guard who fell flat on his face. Getting to his knees quickly he huffed "Sorry, Your Highness, he got past us."

The Queen looked revolted at the slight, dirty man standing in front of her. "Get him out. NOW. And your pay has just been slashed."

"Yes, Your Highness," the guard grabbed the man roughly and started towing him away. The man squirmed then yelled, "Wait! Your Majesty! I saw a dragon!"

The Queen arched an eyebrow and looked from Aren to the smelly man. "You know this foul smelling peasant?"

Catching her real question, Aren replied hastily with a "No, Your Majesty. If I wanted someone else to be a witness I would not pick him assuredly."

The Queen nodded, satisfied, "Let him speak."

The man pushed himself away from the guard. His hands were clasping and unclasping in excitement. His blue eyes shown in his dirty, wrinkly face, that was framed by a shock of dirty white hair. A fly buzzed around his head like a planet orbiting the sun. "Your majeshty," he said again, and bowed so low his long beard brushed the carpet. The Queen grimaced in disgust. "I saw dis big dragon near da Redfield! It was flying mighty low and was awful big! I swear dis, I do. Will de hunt begin again?" He smiled, revealing three rotten teeth.

The Queen continued to grimace, "And what, pray tell, was the color of this dragon?"

"Greener den da grass in de Springtime!" He said, his smile growing impossibly large, seeming to crack his wrinkly face.

The Queen pondered this new turn of events for a minute. Then she barked to the guard who was still standing awkwardly in the room, "Go and make sure everyone knows this; whoever spots this dragon must report to me. The Hunt will begin! And you!" she looked straight at Aren.

"You will lead the hunt."


End file.
